1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and an image processing program.
2. Related Art
An image processing technique for deforming an image such as a digital image is known. For example, an image processing technique for deforming a face is disclosed in JP-A-2004-318204. In the image processing technique disclosed in JP-A-2004-318204, a partial area on the image of a face (an area of a cheek image) is set as a correction area. The correction area is segmented into a plurality of sub areas in accordance with a predetermined pattern. Then, an image is expanded or compressed with a scaling factor that is set for each sub area. As a result, the face is deformed.
When an image contains a person including a face, a user sometimes desires to obtain a deformed (i.e., corrected) image that represents a body shape conforming to his/her preference. For example, a user prefers an image of a slim and slender figure. However, if deformation processing is performed uniformly on an area of an image that contains a person, the face of the person will also be affected by the deformation processing. As a result, the vertical-to-horizontal ratio of the face will change substantially. If the ratio changes substantially, a user will feel that a processed person image is strange or unnatural even when the image represents a slim and slender figure as s/he desires.